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Guinea’s military government has received a significant fillip as mining giant Rio Tinto and Chinese steelmaker Baowu made further commitments to the Simandou megaproject – in the process offering hope to Interim President Mamady Doumbouya that exports could eventually start from the long-stalled scheme, as his regime moves slowly on the promised transition back to democracy, write Marc Howard and Our Conakry Correspondent.
Australian Stock Exchange (ASX)-listed Botala Energy has spudded the Serowe 3.3 well, the second of four wells being drilled to test for coal bed methane (CBM) at Serowe, in Botswana’s Central District.
The launch of a 23-block oil and gas licensing round by EGPC and Ganope demonstrates the Ministry of Petroleum’s two parallel priorities: the need to attract investment to established hydrocarbons basins in the Western Desert and Gulf of Suez, while also developing new resource plays in the unexplored southern desert and Red Sea zones.
An FPSO vessel under construction at Malaysia’s Yinson Production yard is thought to be the first of its type to be fitted with a post-combustion carbon capture unit. It will be used on the Agogo field in Angola by BP/Eni joint venture Azule Energy .
Balanced on a financial tight-rope, the Egyptian government is still securing investment commitments for its green energy transition and has brought forward its renewables target by five years. London-based European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is financing the first part of a $2bn programme of transmission upgrades and has named the first gas-fired generator to be shut under the scheme, while Maersk’s new C2X green methanol venture has picked Egypt for its first deal.
Macky Sall has installed trusted ally Antoine Félix Abdoulaye Diome as oil and energy minister in a move said to be designed to extend outgoing president’s influence over the sector even after he leaves office, writes Waly Dione Faye.
African liquified natural gas (LNG) projects will emerge as a major investment theme, consultancy WoodMackenzie has predicted, but the oil sector is likely to struggle to offset declines at maturing assets.
Perenco Oil & Gas has announced the start of production from the Hylia South West oil discovery, offshore Gabon. Output is averaging 3,000 b/d, the Paris-based company said.
Oslo Børs-listed PetroNor E&P’s has announced an update of its Republic of Congo operations, which focus on the PNGF Sud field complex, where Q3 23 net to PetroNor production was 5,118 b/d, compared up from 4,130 b/d in Q3 22.
Norwegian independent PetroNor is growing its footprint in Nigeria with an increased interest in the Aje field, although analysts expressed concern over the valuation of its equity increase.
AOC has made further changes to its senior team, as it looks for partners to share the costs of developing offshore blocks EG-18 and EG-31, which the Canadian-headquartered junior acquired earlier this year. Meanwhile oil majors continue to divest from Equatorial Guinea.
Seven plaintiffs have filed a criminal complaint with Paris prosecutors against TotalEnergies, accusing the French major of negligence and indirect manslaughter during the March 2021 attack on Palma by Islamist insurgents.
Reports suggest Italian major Eni expects to reach a final investment decision (FID) for its Coral Norte floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) plant by June 2024. The 3.4m t/yr Coral Sul development dispatched its first LNG cargo last November, supplied by six subsea wells drilled in the Coral field.
Canada’s Tantalex Lithium Resources expects its early stage Manono lithium tailings project to average production of 112,167m t/yr over a six-year life of mine. African Energy spoke to Tantalex chief executive Eric Allard to get the latest details on the project, including the potential for hydroelectric power supply.
The Shema Power Lake Kivu (SPLK) independent power producer (IPP) in Rwanda has started supplying the grid, project director Tony de la Motte told African Energy. While the onshore methane-to-power plant has been fully commissioned, an equipment breakdown means SPLK is not yet at its full commercial operating capacity. African Energy has taken a closer look at the project and the progress of other planned Lake Kivu power plants.
